WILLIAM MORTON LIMITED
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (73/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 47.2y
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 47.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 30/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: high (84/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
4 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Corporate timeline (42 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-10📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-06-10🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2025-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2022-06-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-12-05➖BULLOCH, Alexander resigneddirector
- 2019-12-04📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2019-12-04📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-11-15➕SHEARER, Ewan appointedsecretary
- 2019-11-15➖ROBERTSON, Brian Douglas resignedsecretary
- 2019-06-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-27📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2018-02-27🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2017-07-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-groupaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-01➖CAMPBELL, Donald Mckinnon resigneddirector
- 2014-10-22➕JAGIELKO, Carol Anne appointeddirector
- 2014-10-22➕JAGIELKO, Henry John appointeddirector
- 2014-06-12➕TURNBULL, James Douglas appointeddirector
- 2011-10-31🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2011-08-23➕CAMPBELL, Donald Mckinnon appointeddirector
- 2011-07-29➖GILLIGAN, John resigneddirector
- 2005-01-31➖ARMSTRONG, William David resigneddirector
- 2005-01-25➕ROBERTSON, Brian Douglas appointedsecretary
- 2005-01-25➖RUSSELL, Stephen Gerard resignedsecretary
- 2003-11-28➖HARVEY-MILLER, Nicholas Thomas resigneddirector
- 2003-07-01➕GILLIGAN, John appointeddirector
- 2003-02-24➖MONAGHAN, Paul resigneddirector
- 2002-10-01➕HARVEY-MILLER, Nicholas Thomas appointeddirector
- 1998-10-30➕MONAGHAN, Paul appointeddirector
- 1998-06-01➖BISHOP, David Harry resigneddirector
- 1997-05-01➕SMITH, Gail Irene Allan appointeddirector
- 1993-06-15🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 1984-09-10🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1983-05-16🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Tennent Caledonian Breweries LTD
- 1979-03-27🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1974-08-26🏢Company incorporatedAs WILLIAM MORTON LIMITED
Owner dependency
Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
- -5 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 52 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
Aba Equity Limited holds majority control (50-75%). Likely parent but not wholly-owned.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aba Equity Limited Corporate entity | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · G postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALLIANCE SANITARY PRODUCTS LIMITED→ SC261393 · est 2004 | £8.86M £6.65M–£11.08M | — | — | 2900 | 22y | 86 | 69y |
| FAILTE FOOD SERVICE LIMITED→ SC275128 · est 2004 | £7.59M £5.69M–£9.48M | — | — | 71 | 21y | 85 | 66y |
| WESTSIDE DISTRIBUTION HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC648056 · est 2019 | £5.77M £4.33M–£7.21M | — | — | 27 | 6y | 84 | 67y |
| WESTSIDE DISTRIBUTION LIMITED→ SC365971 · est 2009 | £5.77M £4.33M–£7.21M | — | — | 27 | 16y | 88 | 67y |
| SOUTHEAST TRADERS LIMITED→ SC235763 · est 2002 | £4.00M £3.00M–£5.01M | — | — | 26 | 23y | 88 | 67y |
| SCO-FRO GROUP LIMITED→ SC057644 · est 1975 | £2.74M £2.06M–£3.43M | — | — | 20 | 51y | 95 | 72y |
| D MCNAIR (BUILDERS MERCHANTS) LIMITED→ SC089357 · est 1984 | £2.35M £1.76M–£2.93M | — | — | 69 | 41y | 85 | 63y |
| EAGLE TUBE AND FLANGES LIMITED→ SC084811 · est 1983 | £2.14M £1.60M–£2.67M | — | — | 1400 | 42y | 83 | 70y |
| LEESHUN CATERING SUPPLIES LTD→ SC346276 · est 2008 | £811.1k £608.3k–£1.01M | — | — | 13 | 17y | 83 | 69y |
| ANDREW MCDICKEN LIMITED→ SC034095 · est 1959 | — | — | £8.7k | — | 66y | 83 | 63y |
| ASTRA HYGIENE SUPPLIES LIMITED→ SC122088 · est 1989 | — | — | £335.1k | — | 36y | 83 | 81y |
| BAYMED HEALTHCARE LTD.→ SC062673 · est 1977 | — | — | £77.1k | — | 48y | 83 | 59y |
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (6 active · 9 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 31/10/2011 | — | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Standard security | 1 property | 10/09/1984 | 10/06/2025 | |
| satisfied | Tennent Caledonian Breweries Tennent Caledonian Breweries LTD | Standard security | 1 property | 16/05/1983 | 15/06/1993 | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 27/03/1979 | 27/02/2018 |